I am realizing more and more how much I missed—how much I missed not really knowing my classmates and how much more I could learn if I took the same classes now. These lost lessons spur me to dig a little into the lives of as many classmates as will allow. To think that his locker was next to mine for an entire school year, and I knew nothing of what he shared in this brief about himself!

Naturally, we have to begin where and when he was born, which was in Dayton, Ohio, on February 19, 1946. Rick was the second of four sons born to his parents. During his growing-up years he categorized himself as an “outdoor kid” when not in school. He hails from Longfellow Elementary School, and his favorite teacher was Ms. Gritton. His favorite subject was English, and I forgot to ask him, “So does that mean that Ms. Gritton taught English?” Hmmmmmmm.
His favorite high school teacher was Carmela Vacchiano (married name, Pragalos). Now, it stands to reason that I should have asked if that meant his favorite high school subject was biology?

During a brief period after graduating from Colonel White, Rick was working at a part-time job as a delivery boy; one of his deliveries took him to Ms. Vacchiano’s house. He explained who he was (the kid who liked to stay after school and rewind her projector reels and clean her blackboards). She didn’t recognize him at first because he left high school at 5’8”, 145 lbs and showed up at her door as a whopping 6’3”, 230 lbs!

Not only did Rick wash blackboards and rewind reels during high school, his major extracurricular activities included swimming and diving competitions. He also engaged in martial arts training—all the while working at Kroger’s.

How he found time for anything else is remarkable, but Rick was incorporating private music lessons on the piano, bassoon, and saxophone. Over the last 30 years, he has not actively played any instruments, but he has recently been entertaining the prospect of picking up his saxophone again. (Good idea!)

When asked how well he did in school and how his motivation and performance affected his life, this is how he answered.

“I did not work as hard as I should have in high school. I realized when I was about 20 years old, though, that I had “soaked up” so much at CW, I decided that it was a waste not to use the education system to reach my goals. I took that realization and became a teacher so I could identify kids who weren’t working to their potential I wanted to try to influence them to reach higher earlier.”

In the third grade Rick knew he wanted to be a teacher. Following graduation from Colonel White, Rick’s experiences included joining the U. S. Army and being trained as a military policeman. He served a year in Vietnam (December 1965 to February 1967) in that capacity. He had the distinctive honor of providing body guard service for Bob Hope, Vic Damone, Phyllis Diller, Miss World, General Westmorland, and General Abrams—important people who each served their country within their own scopes during the war.

Miami of Ohio was his college of choice for obtaining his teaching credentials, and he boasts of still being a loyal Redskin…NOT a Redhawk! During Rick’s teaching career, he was an English teacher, a student dean, assistant principal, and high school and middle school principal. The schools where he served were Hamilton HS, Huber Heights junior high schools, Jamestown Greeneview HS, Tipp City HS, Madison-Plains HS, Barnesville HS, Three Rivers Middle School, Zanesville HS. His goal “out of the gates” was to help kids learn, and that was his favorite part of his career. This picture shows Rick with two of his hall monitors…in the early 1960s hall monitors didn’t look quite like these:

Rick officially retired from Teaching in 2007 after 35 years. Currently, he works an ad hoc job as a trainer and consultant for National College in Kettering, Ohio.

A few of Rick’s formal, noteworthy awards consist of the following: Huber Heights “Teacher of the Year,” State Superintendent of Schools “School of Promise” Citation; International Martial Arts Federation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has received from his communities because he has contributed to them. He is involved with the Volunteer-Dayton Veteran’s Administration, Vandalia-Butler Sister Cities project, Vandalia-Butler Historical Society, V-B S.A.Y. Soccer, Miamisburg Historical Society, Miamisburg Parks and Recreation, Miamisburg Renovation/Renewal Committee in addition to the Rotary, Kiwanis, Vietnam Vets of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars. Whew!

Do you remember Phillips Swimming Pool on Leo Street, Dayton? Well, that’s where Rick met his wife, Karen, of 43 years. They dated off-and-on between 1962 and 1967 when they were married. He and his wife have two daughters and three grandchildren with another on the way. One daughter is also a teacher. The other daughter is a contract administrator in Washington, D. C. No pets at the moment.

Everyone (I hope) finds themselves in embarrassing moments. They are so humbling! Rick says his is “…walking right in to a women’s restroom at the airport because I was reading a book.” Then on the other hand, we have all had thrilling moments. Rick couldn’t narrow his down to one because he has two daughters. His presence at the birth of each was his most thrilling moment(s).

His hobbies are furniture building, traveling, and he is currently restoring a 1964 Studebaker Champ pick-up truck that belonged to his mother. His favorite food—not picky--any seafood. And his favorite color is blue. If he could live anywhere, you would find Rick behind a waterfall on a South Pacific Island. Confusing at the least, he would like to go to Antarctica as a place of utmost interest!

Jackie: “What few words would your best friend use to describe you?”
Rick: “A patient listener who would do anything to help a friend in need.”
Tell me you wouldn’t like to go back to CWHS, meet and get to know more people like Rick! (Remember to take a look at him on the Military Hall of Fame page, too.)